1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a means for separating particle contaminants from a relatively high velocity axially flowing stream of gas such as may be required for internal combustion engines, diesel engines, jet aircraft engines, turbines, or the like, and which requires a clean supply of air or other gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Centrifugal force has been employed to separate solid contaminant particles from an axially flowing gas stream. Prior art devices have required that the centrifugal force be relatively high to accomplish the desired purposes. The resulting abrasive effect of the contaminant particles reduces the life of the device significantly. Therefore, the method of inducing centrifugal action has varied among centrifugal force generators. For example, Monson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,821, teaches a centrifugal separator with a deflecting element which has a centrally located axially extending hub with a plurality of generally helical type vanes extending radially outwardly, each vane having a chamber in the high pressure surface thereof. The object of the improved deflecting element being to improve the efficiency of the centrifugal separator. Also, in Campolong, U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,930, a vaned deflector disposed within the centrifugal separator causes the influent air stream to impart a helically spinning or cyclonic movement to the air stream. The air entrained dirt particles that are relatively heavy are thrown to the periphery of the tube due to the centrifugal force of the vortex stream, thus cleaning the air of the contaminant particles at the center of the tube.
Both of these centrifugal separators, as a result of the design of the generator, do obtain total separation of the contaminant particles from the gas stream, but as pointed out above, the life of the device is short because of the abrasion of the contaminant particles on the inner surface of the tube housing the generators, as well as the outer surfaces of the deflecting element.